Early in December, Santa Ana District’s Pomona Letter Carrier Sheree Walker was in her vehicle delivering her route when she saw a small child all alone on a nearby sidewalk. Wearing a red, long-sleeved t-shirt, with mud on his face and hands, the little boy was sobbing uncontrollably.

Anxious to get to the toddler as quickly as possible, she parked, secured her vehicle, and hurried to the child, who jumped into her arms the moment he saw her. Looking more closely at the distraught tot, Walker estimated he was less than two years old. But there was no adult in sight. So, while patting his back and consoling the little tyke, she called 911.

The operator instructed her to “stay put” while a police officer was dispatched to the scene. A passerby suggested he knew where the boy belonged, but Walker heeded the 911 operator’s strong advice that she not look for the child’s home until officers arrived. She continued to reassure the child until a motorcycle officer appeared and subsequently located the responsible adult and returned the child to him.

Fifteen years earlier, Walker had saved a boy from an abductor. As she returned to her route, she remembered that past event, and was happy to have had the opportunity to again make a difference in the life of a child.

“This is what letter carrier’s do,” said Pomona Postmaster Anthony Hernandez. “They look after their customers. We’re so proud of Sheree for carrying on that tradition — one that goes on every day across America.”